DM Q & A: Large, lethal sticks and the law

[StabbingNirvana]

How come healthy and capable people are allowed to carry dangerously large sticks in town without being scolded by the guards or given over night jail time to teach them a lesson?

They aren't being used to support the characters for walking so their immediate use would be that hey are magically infused weapons that are always in hand ready for potential hostile action.

Their only other purpose I would assume is for aethetics. But aesthetics obviously doesn't make you above the law.

The same could be said for unstrung bows which are highly dangerous and could also dispense quite the beating.

So... Can we start getting weapons-in-hand laws enforced across the board or is it just swords that are hazardous to society?

Thanks in advance!

[someonehaha]

Some priests or priestesses will carry staves as symbolic status symbols. Staves are not actually meant for combat historically, As a pair of garden sheers is not but can be used as one. Magical or not. Unstrung bows are a joke of weapon without a cocked arrow. The wood on bows are made to be flexible and whippy. As for future reference. Shields do not 'simply hang on your back ether' that is pure pulp fantasy fiction. Sheilds ethier have a handle or are wrapped to your limbs by belts/strings. The same could be said for almost all polarms and great weapons for having a lack of a 'holster'. This is why peasants were banned from owning weapons without any form of rank or status.

Just my two cents but, what do I know.

[StabbingNirvana]

Thankfully we're playing to the realities of the game and not historical truth. Full plate would negate the use of a shield in real life too, but in game they still give out up to a significant +6 AC.

Can't say I've ever seen anyone emote "strings their unstrung bow" when the dragons attack Greatgaunt. It's always just automatically strung when the arrows start flying. Either way...

Guards should be enforcing the law and forcing people with large dangerous weapons to keep them out of hand and in their hotel rooms if they can't keep them out of hand in the same manner that they do with swords. Also, IC history dictates that staves that magic-users carry empower their magic. Why would an innocent magic–user need to empower their magic in a peaceful little town while chatting peacefully? Seems suspect.

[malclave]

What type of action is stringing a bow? I could see it being a full round action, but glancing at the PHB the closest I saw was "manipulate an item", which is a move equivalent. That's the same as drawing a weapon or readying a shield, except the latter examples can be combined with a move.

Do people often take the time to emote drawing weapons during a dragon attack?

[StabbingNirvana]

One would think that if you emote having your bow unstrung, you'd have to emote stringing it to undo that prior emote. If you don't have weapons equipped and you then equip them though, it'd be self explanatory.

Aside from the RP aspect of breaking the law by having a weapon equipped and in hand, there's also the mechanical aspect. If PvP or combat breaks out, characters that have their weapons (ie: staves and bows) already equipped get a free round (and passive stat bonuses) on characters that don't/aren't allowed to have their weapons equipped.

Though that then begs the question on whether my character could keep his swords out and then just emote they still have their sheathes on or that they're still attached to the hip but I just have them out for the cool aesthetic.

Basically, I think there needs to be some narrowing or further detailing of the rules/laws and a list of weapons that could be equipped in town. As well as if there are zones in town where it's ok to stand with weapons drawn such as by the combat dummy in GG.

Also, when would it be alright for a character to draw their own weapons in self-preservation? Would a heavily buffed mage with their staff in hand be enough to warrant a drawing of your own weaponry without legal repercussion? How about if a monstrous, winged RDD comes rolling around or a half-orc that bears a resemblance that's more orc than human?

So many questions.

[Warlord]

Well.....

Old school Cormyr law is such:

"All weapons must be peace-bonded. The only persons exempt from this law are members of chartered adventuring groups and members of mercenary groups that can offer proof of employment."

Got a charter?

Harming Cats is forbidden.

Edit: I should note, the verbiage of "adventuring groups" is done on the traditional PnP platform. For the online setting the verbiage would likely be a tad more liberal to sustain individual reflection. Other written laws forbid brandishing of weapons (in a hostile manner) anyway.

[StabbingNirvana]

Just cause they're the weakest two hander though doesn't mean it's any less a weapon. It still remains as an effective bludgeoning tool with a high range. Didn't you ever play Ninja Turtles for the NES? Donatello did the most damage and his staff didn't even give him increased raw magical power.

Basically, if powerful staves are gonna be allowed to be equipped by mages and priests with questionable motives it's only fair for others to arm themselves in response. Especially when a good portion of those respect/status demanding staff welders actually present no status or title to be respectful of. They're just random passerbyers who claim they're priests and mage. They might very well be delusional folk walking around with fancy beating sticks that shoot out fireballs on command.

So... They aren't any less of a weapon than say bastard swords for example. They're probably even more of a weapon than bastard swords.

[Dakarizon (Shroud)]

Isn’t this supposed to be DM Q&A?

[StabbingNirvana]

It sure is.

[DM Hawk]

Howdy folks,

Please see the below as a refresher about this board. Leave this board clear for the DM team to provide an official response to the question asked in due course.

I'm locking this thread for now.

Apr 3, 2007 14:31:45 GMT -5 ShadowCatJen said:

This is a forum for talking directly to a DM.

Only DMs will respond to posts; although you are allowed to respond inside your own post to things a DM says - any replies by other players will be deleted, or modified to make said player feel silly.

This is not the proper forum for major complaints or things that should be best discussed in private. For matters such as these, do feel free to PM the DM Staff.

This is the place to ask questions specifically to the DM's involving how to roleplay, how DMs view certain things and issues, without 30 players adding in their two cents.

Additionally, please keep all subject matter serious. Keep all the silliness to the "off topic fun" forum area.

Please start the subject line with "DM Q&A". This way people reading the "10 most recent posts" will know your post is in this section before they try to reply.

[DM Hawk]

Like magic, the use of arms (weapons) in Cormyr is regulated. By the law, a weapon must be bonded with a peacestring unless the bearer has a charter. The charter allows one to wear their weapon without a peacestring and to wield it when facing danger adventuring lawfully under the terms of the charter. However, this does not mean the adventurer can legally draw and hold the weapon whenever they wish, especially in populated areas.

Keep in mind, guards have the responsibility to keep the peace and see that their town safe. They of course have some discretion when doing their job and use judgement. If they perceive someone behaving dangerously, they'll respond to it. If the response is ignored, or the behavior is repeated over time, this response will probably escalate until the dangerous behavior is corrected.

To abide by the law, there should be a viable reason for a weapon to be in hand within a populated area of Cormyr. Idly standing, talking, walking around, or shopping are not viable reasons.

Self-Defense counts as a viable reason and one doesn't need a charter to defend oneself or someone else from bodily harm. However, merely seeing someone holding a weapon or a magic staff nearby does not justify self-defense action. Someone having a weapon or a magic staff in hand while actively threatening you or someone else would justify a self-defense action of readying one's weapon in the face of the active threat.

If a populated area has a designated spot for training, such as a field with a combat dummy or archery target, it is expected to draw one's weapon when engaging in active training within the training field (close proximity to the combat dummy or archery target).

Edged and pointed weapons are considered more dangerous and lethal than a blunted weapon. D&D's weapon damage, critical threat ranges, and damage multipliers represent this fact. So, having an edged or pointed weapon in hand is perceived more threatening by authorities than blunt instruments.

That said, some blunt instruments are intended solely for combat like a mace, morning star, or war hammer while others have purposes beyond battle such as a staff or light hammer. Weapons intended solely for use in combat will be perceived more threatening by authorities than staves or hammers or fishing rods which were created for purposes other than combat.

So weapons that also serve as tools - staves, light hammers, perhaps even a hand axe for chopping wood - held in hand may not alarm a guard unless the item is wielded by an individual in an actively threatening way. If an individual gets in a habit of whacking or blasting someone with a staff or cracking a skull with a small hammer then the guards will interpret these items as dangerous weapons in the hands of these individuals because they've proven themselves to use the instruments as weapons rather than tools.

Someone seated on the ground or at a table while rolelpaying cleaning or repairing a weapon in hand would probably not alarm the authorities. Sitting all day with weapons in hand probably would.

As for longbows and shortbows, these instruments are made for hunting as well as combat and in that regard may be counted by guards as tools. Joe Guardsman would prefer to see a bow unstrung in town, sure. Joe Guardsman would certainly not like to see a bow strung with a fitted arrow in town. If Joe Guardsman sees a bow in town with an arrow ready to fly or being used to smack someone else, he's probably going to respond to a threat.

Generally, the more threatening or uncooperative someone appears to be the more the authorities will notice and respond.

[DM Sauron]

Bump!